Compact refrigerator



Dec. 28, 1965 J. B. HORVAY COMPACT REFRIGERATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledJuly 31, 1964 INVENTOR. :ru\ \us B. H R M BY a +\S AT TORNEY Dec. 28,1965 J. B. HORVAY COMPACT REFRIGERATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 31,1964 INVENTOR. Iuuus a. HORVAY \\\s ATTORNEY United States Patent @flice3,225,554 Patented Dec. 28, 1965 3,225,564 CGMPACT REFRiGERAT-GR Iuiius3. Harvey, Louisriile, Ky, assignor to General Electric Company, acorporation of New York Filed .lniy 31, 1%4, Ser. No. 386,651 3 Claims.(Cl. 62377) The present invention relates to compact or smallrefrigerators as, for example, refrigerators of about a two cubic footcapacity and adapted to be mounted on the wall of a den, studio or thelike.

The advantages of small refrigerators for use in dens, studios or thelike has long been recognized. For maximum usefulness, it has also beenrealized that such refrigerators should combine ice freezing facilitieswith maximum fresh food storage capacity at a minimum cost. To meetthese requirements, it is necessary to employ the same evaporator bothfor freezing and for the cooling of the storage compartment, or in otherwords, the fresh food storage area must be continuously maintained atabove freezing temperatures by an evaporator operating at below freezingtemperatures.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a small orcompact refrigerator comprising an evaporator adapted to form a belowfreezing compartment and a fresh food storage area, all of which area ismaintained at above freezing temperatures even though tie evaporatoroperates at below freezing temperatures.

Another object of the invention is to provide a compact refrigeratorincluding a fresh food storage compartment, a below freezing evaporatorfor cooling the contents of that compartment, a pair of doors forclosing the access opening to the compartment and including door shelvesexposed directly to the cooling effect of the evaporator and means formaintaining these shelves at above freezing temperatures.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent asthe following description proceeds and the features of novelty whichcharacterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in theclaims annexed to and forming part of this specification.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention,there is provided a compact refrigerator including a rectangular cabinetcomprising insulated walls defining a storage compartment having anaccess opening at the front thereof. The cabinet includes a reentrantportion in a lower rear corner thereof forming an area outside of thestorage compartment for housing a por tion of the refrigeration system.To provide sufficient space for the refrigeration equipment, thereentrant portion is approximately one-half the width of the storagecompartment and includes a vertical front wall, which is closelyadjacent the access opening to the compartment, and a horizontal wallspaced from the top wall of the compartment. The refrigerator alsoincludes a refrigeration system comprising an evaporator operatingcontinuously at below freezing temperatures for the freezing of ice.This evaporator is disposed in an upper corner of the compartment abovethe horizontal wall component of the reentrant portion and a compressoris housed in the area outside the storage compartment. Closure means forclosing the access opening to the compartment include a pair ofside-by-side doors one of which is substantially coextensive with thearea occupied by the evaporator and the reentrant portion. The doors areprovided with inner liners having projections defining a door shelfrecess and the recess in the door opposite the evaporator is in closeproximity to the evaporator so that the evaporator tends to cool therecess and its contents to below freezing temperatures. For the purposeof maintaining this recess storage area at above freezing temperatures,or in other words to counteract the cooling effect of the evaporator onthis area, the vertical front wall of the reentrant portion opposite thedoor recess and below the evaporator is so constructed as to have a heatconductivity such that there is sufiicient heat leakage from thecompressor to maintain the shelf recess at above freezing temperatures.

For a better understanding of the invention reference may be had to theaccompanying drawing in which FIG- URE 1 is a front elevation view ofthe refrigerator of the present invention with the doors removed;

FIGURE 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken generally along line 22 ofFIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a-vertical sectional view taken generally along line 33 ofFIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a detailed sectional view of a portion of the refrigeratortaken generally along line 44 of FIG- URE 2.

With reference to the drawings, the refrigerator of the presentinvention comprises a rectangular cabinet 1 including an inner shell orliner 2 and an outer shell 3 spaced from one another with the spacebetween the two being filled generally with suitable heat insulatingmaterial 4. The liner 2, which forms a storage compartment 5 for thestorage of refrigerated products at above freezing temperatures has anaccess opening at the front thereof closed by a pair of side-by-sidedoors 6 and 7.

The substantially coextensive liner 2 and outer shell 3 are formed in asuitable manner to provide a cabinet top wall 8, a bottom wall 9,opposed side walls 10 and 11 so that the access opening at the face orfront of the cabinet is rectangular. The cabinet also includes a backwall 14, one lower corner of which is formed with a reentrant portion 15comprising a top wall portion 16, a front wall portion 17 and forms anarea or housing outside of the storage compartment 5 for housing aportion of the refrigeration system.

To provide maximum storage within the compartment 5, one or more shelves18 are supported within the cabinet to one side of the reentrant portion15 while the insulated doors 6 and 7 are each formed with inner linersor panels 20 shaped to include projections 21 defining storage recesses22 in each of the doors adapted to contain one or more door shelves 23in accordance with the usual refrigerator cabinet practice.

The refrigeration system or unit for maintaining the storage compartment5 at refrigerated temperatures comprises a compressor 25 mounted withinthe area defined by the reentrant portion 15, that is, outside of thestorage compartment 5, a condenser 26 mounted on the back wall 14 of thecabinet and an evaporator 27 supported by brackets 28 on the top wall 8of the cabinet above the top wall portion 16 of the reentrant portion. Atray 30 supported on the horizontal wall 16 provides storage for meatsor the like and also functions as a drip tray during defrosting of theevaporator 27. It will be understood that the compressor, condenser,suitable flow restricting means and the evaporator are connected inclosed seriesflow connection.

The evaporator 27 is of the open type, that is, open on both the frontand rear sides thereof, and is designed to function as a small freezerfor the freezing of water in one or more freezing trays 34 and for thestorage of frozen foods on a shelf 31 within the enclosure formed by theWalls of the evaporator. Thus, the evaporator is intended to operatecontinuously at below freezing temperatures and at the same time tomaintain the remaining areas within the storage compartment 5 at abovefreezing temperatures for the storage of non-frozen foods. The coolingof the storage compartment results from the natural circulation of airwithin the compartment into heat exchange relationship with theevaporator 27.

From the above description, it will be seen that the various storagedoors 6 and 7 which are vertically mounted on the face of the cabinet bymeans of the hinges 33 cooperate to close the access opening to thestorage compartment. One of the doors, specifically door 7, faces thegeneral area occupied by one or more of the shelves 18 and the recessshelves provided in the recess 21 of this door operate at substantiallythe same temperatures as the area surrounding shelf 18.

On the other hand, the other door 6 is substantially coextensive withand opposite the portion of the cabinet interior occupied by thereentrant portion and the evaporator 27 mounted in the space above thereentrant portion.

The temperatures maintained in a cabinet of this type in which a belowfreezing evaporator is employed to maintain the storage compartment atabove freezing temperatures will vary from point to point within thestorage compartment and will be substantially colder at all points closeto the evaporator. As a result, the recess 22 in the door 6, which isdirectly opposite and relatively close to the front end of theevaporator 27 tends to operate at a much lower temperature than theremaining portion of the storage compartment 5. Also, as most of thestorage space is in the opposite side of the compartment, even underheavy usage of the refrigerator, the door 6 is not opened too frequentlysince it provides access only to the shelves on the door 6 and to thefreezer volume within the evaporator 27. Therefore, in the absence ofsome means for maintaining the shelf area within the recess 22 of thedoor 6 at suitable above freezing temperatures, the foodstuffs storedtherein may freeze.

The present invention is based on the discovery that suitable abovefreezing temperatures can be maintained within the recess 22 of the door6 by controlled heat leakage of heat from the compressor through one ormore of the Wall portions forming the reentrant portion 15. Preferably,as shown in FIGURE 4 of the drawing, all or part of the insulationcontained within the space between the outer shell and liner in thevertical wall portion 17 is omitted to obtain a controlled heat leakagefrom the compressor 25 into the door recess 22. Alternatively this wallarea can be thinned down to provide the required heat leakage. Witheither construction, the warm air warmed by this heat leakage passesupwardly through the recess 22 and counteracts the cooling resultingfrom the proximity of the evaporator 27 to the upper portion of therecess 22 in the door 6.

In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention the usualtemperature control switch means 37 including a regular knob 38 forcontrolling the operation of the compressor 25 is also mounted in thevertical wall 17. The mounting of this control 37 at this point providesa convenient arrangement for the control knob 38 and also provides therequired heat leakage path between the compressor and the recess 22. Itwill be understood, of course, that the control includes a temperaturesensing element positioned at some point within the storage compartmentor in contact with the evaporator 27 in order to maintain the desiredoperating temperatures.

The refrigerator construction of the present invention also hasadditional advantages. As two doors are employed, only the right handdoor 7 will be opened frequently for access to the major storage area.As the left door 6 is opened only occasionally, the evaporator isexposed directly to warm ambient area less frequently than if a singledoor were used to close the access opening with a resultant lower powerconsumption and compressor running time.

While it has been shown and described a specific embodiment of thepresent invention, it will be understood that the invention is notlimited thereto and it is intended by the appended claims to cover allsuch modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of theinvention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

1. A refrigerator including a cabinet comprising insulated wallsincluding an insulated back wall defining a storage compartment, havingan access opening at the front thereof,

said back wall including reentrant portion in a lower corner andincluding front, top and side wall portions defining an area outsidesaid storage compartment,

closure means including a door for closing said access opening having aninner liner including spaced vertical projections extending into saidcompartment when the door is closed and defining a recess, at least onestorage shelf supported in said recess and means for pivotallysupporting said door on the front of said cabinet,

the inner surface of said front wall portion being closely adjacent saidvertical projections,

a refrigeration system including an evaporator and a compressor, saidevaporator Operating at below freezing temperatures and being disposedin an upper corner of said compartment, above said reentrant portion, ina position exposed directly to said recess,

said compressor being disposed in said area outside said storagecompartment,

said front wall portion between said area and said recess in said doorhaving a heat conductivity suflicient to maintain the contents of saidrecess at above freezing temperatures by heat leakage from saidcompressor.

2. In a refrigerator, a rectangular cabinet comprising insulated wallsincluding a top wall defining a storage compartment having an accessopening at the front thereof,

said cabinet including a reentrant portion in a lower rear cornerthereof of about one half the width of said compartment and defining anarea outside storage compartment,

said reentrant portion including a vertical front wall adjacent saidaccess opening and a horizontal wall spaced from said top wall,

a refrigeration system including an evaporator operating at belowfreezing temperatures disposed in an upper corner of said compartmentabove the horizontal wall portion of said reentrant portion and acompressor disposed in said area outside said storage compartment,

closure means including a pair of side-by-side doors for closing saidaccess opening, one of said doors being substantially coextensive withsaid vertical front wall portion and having an inner liner includingspaced vertical projections defining a door shelf recess opposite and inclose proximity to said evaporator whereby said evaporator tends to coolsaid recess to below freezing temperatures,

said front vertical wall between said area and said recess in said doorhaving a heat conductivity sufficient to counteract the cooling effectof said evaporator and maintain said recess at above freezingtemperatures by heat leakage from said compressor.

3. In a refrigerator, a rectangular cabinet comprising insulated wallsincluding a top wall defining a storage compartment having an accessopening at the front thereof,

said cabinet including a reentrant portion in a lower rear cornerthereof of about one-half the width of said compartment and defining anarea outside said storage compartment,

said reentrant portion including a vertical front wall adjacent saidaccess opening and a horizontal wall spaced from said top wall,

a refrigeration system including an evaporator operating at belowfreezing temperatures disposed in an upper corner of said compartmentabove the horizontal wall portion of said reentrant portion and acompressor disposed in said area outside said storage compartment,

closure means including a pair of side-by-side doors for closing saidaccess opening, one of said doors being substantially coextensive withsaid vertical front wall portion and having an inner liner includingspaced vertical projections defining a door shelf recess opposite and inclose proximity to said evaporator whereby said evaporator tends to coolsaid recess to below freezing temperatures,

said front vertical wall between said area and said recess in said doorcontaining less insulation than the remaining wall areas whereby heatleakage from said compressor will maintain said recess at above freezingtemperatures.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,992,011 2/1935Knight 62453 X 2,393,238 1/1946 Dailey 62--442 X 2,509,614 5/1950Philipp 62-453 X 2,666,302 1/1954 Philipp 62-453 X 3,063,772 11/1962Kennedy 62441 X MEYER PERLIN, Primary Examiner.

LLOYD L. KING, Examiner.

1. A REFRIGERATOR INCLUDING A CABINET COMPRISING INSULATED WALLSINCLUDING AN INSULATED BACK WALL DEFINING A STORAGE COMPARTMENT, HAVINGAN ACCESS OPENING AT THE FRONT THEREOF, SAID BACK WALL INCLUDINGREENTRANT PORTION IN A LOWER CORNER AND INCLUDING FRONT, TOP AND SIDEWALL PORTIONS DEFINING AN AREA OUTSIDE SAID STORAGE COMPARTMENT, CLOSUREMEANS INCLUDING A DOOR FOR CLOSING SAID ACCESS OPENING HAVING AN INNERLINER INCLUDING SPACED VERTICAL PROJECTIONS EXTENDING INTO SAIDCOMPARTMENT WHEN THE DOOR IS CLOSED AND DEFINING A RECESS, AT LEAST ONESTORAGE SHELF SUPPORTED IN SAID RECESS AND MEANS FOR PIVOTALLYSUPPORTING SAID DOOR ON THE FRONT OF SAID CABINET, THE INNER SURFACE OFSAID FRONT WALL PORTION BEING CLOSELY ADJACENT SAID VERTICALPROJECTIONS, A REFRIGERANT SYSTEM INCLUDING AN EVAPORATOR AND ACOMPRESSOR, SAID EVAPORATOR OPERATING AT BELOW FREEZING TEMPERATURES ANDBEING DISPOSED IN AN UPPER CORNER OF SAID COMPARTMENT, ABOVE SAIDREENTRANT PORTION, IN A POSITION EXPOSED DIRECTLY TO SAID RECESS, SAIDCOMPRESSOR BEING DISPOSED IN SAID AREA OUTSIDE SAID STORAGE COMPARTMENT,SAID FRONT WALL PORTION BETWEEN SAID AREA AND SAID RECESS IN SAID DOORHAVING A HEAT CONDUCTIVITY SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN THE CONTENTS OF SAIDRECESS AT ABOVE FREEZING TEMPERATURES BY HEAT LEAKAGE FROM SAIDCOMPRESSOR.